Pickings appear pretty slim in the free agent pool
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Wow, looking over the free agent list is a real eye-opener. There’s not much out there that seems like a good fit for the Penguins and the power play. What is available comes mostly from the blue line and with Pittsburgh’s top six or seven defense pretty well set, it’s doubtful the team does much there.
New Jersey’s
Andy Greene will be a free agent and he made $750K in 2010-11. He could come in as a complementary player, but the Devils are thought to be interested in retaining him. Greene had a down year – as did plenty of Devils – with only 23 points (six on the power play) after collected 37 points (15 on the man advantage) two years ago.
A few forwards targets in the list include
Tomas Fleischmann,
David Jones and
Jussi Jokinen. Both Fleischmann and Jones played for Colorado in 2010-11. Fleischmann has always had potential, dating back to his days with Washington. He’s never put together a solid string of seasons, but he never really got a full-out chance until last season in Colorado.
The question with the forward in Washington was always whether the team around Fleischmann contributed to his stats or if he was a good player in his own right. A pulmonary embolism ended the winger’s season prematurely last year, but he still put up 21 points in 23 games with the Avs. I've got to admit he's kind of a personal favorite of mine. Fleischmann made $2.6 million in 2010-11.
Jones got $850K in Colorado. He broke out with 27 goals and 45 points in 77 games. His problem has always been one of health. Jones never played in more than 40 games prior to last year. A team might have to overpay him for his one healthy season of play.
Jokinen signed a two-year, $3.4 million deal with Carolina prior to the 2009-10 season. He averaged 58 points with the Hurricanes since then and will likely be looking for a raise. Jokinen might’ve priced himself out of Pittsburgh’s price range with his strong play. He's been a source of discussion on our HockeyBuzz boards for good reason.
Barring a trade, however, the Penguins will most likely look for improvement from within regarding the man advantage.
*****
Hockey’s Future takes a look at Penguins prospects playing within the junior ranks.
Simon Despres is at the top of that list, followed by Tomas Kuhnhackl. Goalie Alexander Pechurskiy has taken a fall after compiling a 3.04 GAA with the Mississippi RiverKings of the Central Hockey League.
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Paul Coffey waxes poetic down memory lane with his Stanley Cup reflections in Pittsburgh, in the
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
According to Coffey, Minnesota North Star (and former Penguin), Chris Dahlquist, advised his Stars’ teammates to whack Coffey in the skates because his feet were two sizes bigger than his skate size.
Coffey also relayed his thoughts on meeting with one-time Penguins owner, Edward DeBartolo Jr., in Youngstown, Ohio. DeBartolo also owned the NFL San Francisco 49ers and seemingly paid more attention to his football team than the Pens. Coffey did what he could to try to change that and the culture of the Penguins locker room.
Tom Barrasso might've been the first influx of talent that took the Penguins to the next level, but it was Coffey and three-Cup presence that gave the team confidence it could win it all.
Have a great Monday everybody!
John
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • 
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